Two Newark NJ men have been sentenced to prison for the sexual assault of an underage girl in Irvington, New Jersey.
According to Essex County prosecutors, the sexual assault occurred at an abandoned house located in Irvington, NJ.
The suspects, ages 23 and 27, began communications with the 12-year-old victim on Facebook in September 2013.
Police conducted an investigation and eventually found enough evidence to arrest the suspects. Prosecutors subsequently charged the suspects with several sex crimes, including aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
The suspects appeared in Essex County Superior Court in May and pleaded guilty to the very serious charges.
The suspects were later sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The 23-year-old suspect received a sentence of 10 years in NJ State Prison; the 27-year-old suspect received a sentence of 7 years in NJ State Prison. The suspects will have to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before they become eligible for parole.
Additionally, the suspects will be required to register as sex offenders under Megan’s Law after they are released from prison.
Not long after the sentences were handed down, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement and said that the case shows that NJ sex crime laws work “to protect children from the predatory behavior engaged in by these defendants.”
To learn more about this case, access the NJ.com article entitled “Newark Men Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Girl, 12, After Meeting on Facebook.”
